COMMUNITY NEWS LIGHT IT UP
2022: ISSUE 2 LIGHT IT UP
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GOING GREEN 2 BIG APPLE, BIG DAY
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50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
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MAKE IT WORK IT TAKES A VILLAGE
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IN GRATITUDE 8
YMCA OF GREATER NEW YORK HOSTS SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHTS PROGRAM
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cross the city, 13 YMCAs provide a safe space for teens between the ages of 11 and 18 on Saturday nights through the Department of Youth and Community Development’s Saturday Night Lights program. This year, the program got a boost as the Y launched a partnership with the New York Knicks that features special basketball clinics where youth can strengthen their ball handling and shooting skills and meet a former Knicks player. The first four YMCA branches to host the New York Knicks Saturday Night Lights Basketball Clinics were the Jamaica Y, the Dodge Y, the Castle Hill Y, and the Broadway Y. “It is a priority that the children in our communities have access to safe places to play, as well as great programming so they can enjoy themselves, and these clinics are a great example of bringing everyone together,” said John Starks, New York Knicks Legend.•
(top) Dodge Y Executive Director Jamel Davis joins Y teens and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Knicks legend John Starks, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and Council Member Lincoln Restler at the Knicks clinic at the Dodge Y. (above, l to r) Council Member Amanda Farías, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clarke get ready to hoop it up at the Castle Hill Y clinic.
(top left) A Knicks clinic coach trains kids at their level – and keeps them smiling. (bottom left) New York Knicks legend John Wallace shares his skills and wisdom with Y youth. (above) Youth run drills at the Jamaica Y.
GOING GREEN THE Y FOCUSES ON SUSTAINABILITY
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n partnership with Gotham 360, a division of Environ Energy, the Y installed four electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot at the new Northeast Bronx Y. The new facility was built to LEED Gold standards and is leading the charge in integrating eco-friendly, sustainable features in Y facilities in the city. The Y has committed to reducing energy consumption, decreasing our carbon footprint, increasing the sustainability of our facilities, and enhancing member experience through strategic investments like this one. The Y plans to install an additional 33 EV charging stations at the Cross Island, North Brooklyn, Long Island City, and Castle Hill branches this year, and aims to make charging stations available at all Y branches with parking lots within the next few years.•
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WE’RE HERE FOR ALL NEW YORKERS –
to empower youth, improve health, and strengthen community.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie Jr. tests out a new charging station at the Northeast Bronx Y.
BIG APPLE, BIG DAY YMCAs CELEBRATE HEALTHY KIDS DAY
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rom Cypress Hills to Chinatown, Long Island City to Staten Island’s South Shore, neighborhoods across the city took part in Healthy Kids Day. Now in its 30th year, the annual free community event is a celebration of all things health: from nutritional information to family games to fitness classes to the pure joy of movement in a bouncy house.
Seven YMCAs expanded their offerings by partnering with NewYorkPresbyterian to have pediatricians onsite offering tips on how to keep kids healthy. Additionally, 12 Ys included “civic health,” inviting partners such as the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Brooklyn NAACP, Brooklyn Voters Alliance, Chinese Progressive Association, Dominicanos USA,
Kids enjoy a magic show at the Greenpoint Y. A volunteer serves up healthy snacks at the West Side Y.
Hispanic Federation, MinKwon Center for Community Action, and NALEO Educational Fund to register voters and talk to community members about the upcoming primary elections.•
Kids enjoy a bouncy house at the Cross Island Y.
(above l to r) Jenny Guiracocha from NALEO Educational Fund shares information about the primary election at the Ridgewood Y. Sandy the Seagull challenges kids to a footrace at the Coney Island Y. (left) Partners such as EmblemHealth provides information and giveaways at the Flatbush Y.
2022 ISSUE 2
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50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE THE Y HOSTS THE 50TH ANNUAL BAI ACHIEVERS IN INDUSTRY GALA
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he Harlem Y’s Black Achievers in Industry program event celebrated 50 years of inspiring hope and determination. The event feted John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE; Derek Gordon, Chief Diversity Officer at Colgate-Palmolive; and Tabitha Ferdinand, Youth Achiever of the Year, for their outstanding leadership and community work. This year the Harlem Y and its corporate partners awarded 32 scholarships to promising future leaders.•
(l) Honoree John Hope Bryant (left) receives the Leo B Marsh Award from Harlem Y bai Committee and Board of Managers Chair Roger Arrieux. (r) Y teen Tabitha Ferdinand keeps her eye on the future as she is honored as the Carrie Terrell Youth Achiever of the Year.
(l) Y staff join then-Executive Director of the Harlem Y, Latoya Jackson, at the bai celebration. (r) Joseph B. Ucuzoglu (left), the Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte US, presents the Deloitte Corporate Community Award to Derek Gordon. 4
WE’RE HERE FOR ALL NEW YORKERS –
to empower youth, improve health, and strengthen community.
MAKE IT WORK
THE Y AND PARTNERS CONNECT COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH OPPORTUNITIES
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he Y continues to partner with elected officials and private employers to host job fairs, while also hosting hiring events across the city. At the Rockaway Y, Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers hosted a job fair with over 27 employers present. The event was sponsored by Lyft, State Senator James Sanders, Assembly Member Khaleel Anderson, NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander. At the Northeast Bronx Y, Council Member Kevin Riley hosted a job fair that featured a vaccination tent as well as a crew of barbers giving out free haircuts. The Y also partnered with Macy’s to host a career event for teens interested in fashion, and offered college scholarships to seniors. Finally, the Y hosted several borough-wide hiring events where community members could apply and interview for a range of YMCA jobs on the spot. If you or someone you know are looking for a career at the Y, please visit our careers page at ymcanyc.org/careers.•
Council Member Kevin Riley (back row, center) joins Northeast Bronx Y Executive Director Meishay Gattis (back row, left) and other Y staff members: Mario Enriquez, Ruth Escobar, Brenda Galarraga, and Tiffany Allen
(l to r) Assembly Member Khaleel Anderson, Rockaway Y Executive Director Michael Garcia, Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers, and LYFT representative Larry Gallegos stand ready to connect people with jobs.
(l) Community members take advantage of a mobile barbershop; (r) Y teens visit Macy’s for a special career event.
2022 ISSUE 2
IT TAKES A
THE Y AND ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
CONEY COMMUNITY Council Member Ari Kagan stopped for a selfie with Executive Director Sam Moore while visiting the Coney Island Y’s Community Market, a biweekly free food distribution site. WHAT’S IN A NAME? Senator Chuck Schumer and Congress Member Carolyn Maloney joined former Assembly Member Joseph Lentol at the Greenpoint Y, where a reception was held to mark the official renaming of the nearby post office in honor of the Assembly Member’s 48 years of service to the community. Post-reception pic with Y staff and Greenpoint Y board members (l to r): Executive Director Kendall Charter, Board Member Frank Carbone, Board Chair Paul Pullo, Former Assemblyman Joe Lentol, YMCA Chief Operating Officer Mel Tse, Board Member Michael Kawochka, and Regional Director of Communications and Fund Development Tatiana Terzuoli.
NEW FRIENDS Council Member Lincoln Restler made some new friends on a visit to the Greenpoint YMCA. NEW AMERICANS IN THE HOUSE Students in the Y’s New Americans Initiative eagerly rushed back to inperson classes after a long span of remote learning. In-person classes have resumed at the Chinatown, Flatbush, Flushing, and Harlem Ys.
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WE’RE HERE FOR ALL NEW YORKERS –
to empower youth, improve health, and strengthen community.
GOOD TIMES Assembly Member Karines Reyes (with staff member Marillian “Millie” Davila) visited the Y’s Glebe Senior Center to give out goodies, information and COVID Test kits.
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PARTNERS DEEPEN IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES HEALTHY NY YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger joined fellow panelists (NYC COVID-19 Test & Trace Corps Executive Director Ted Long, Chair of the NY State Assembly Health Committee Richard Gottfried, and Chair of the NY State Senate Health Committee Gustavo Rivera) to discuss community health initiatives at City & State’s Healthy New York Summit. NEXT GEN LEGISLATION Y teens met at Brooklyn Borough Hall to propose and debate legislation on mental health resources in schools, funding for maintenance of public housing, mobile hygiene services for the unhoused, and more. Debates were presided over by Youth Mayor Ryan La Barrie (right) and other Teens Take the City officers, while elections were held for an incoming slate of youth Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, and Borough Presidents.
HOOPS! The Northeast Bronx Y hosted City & State’s Political Madness basketball tournament, which featured (l to r) State Senator Jamaal Bailey, Assembly Member Khaleel Anderson, Assembly Member Clyde Vanel, Knicks player Charles Smith, Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs, and Council Members Kevin Riley, Crystal Hudson, and Nantasha Williams.
2022 ISSUE 2
OUR VOICES ARE BLACK HISTORY Former Bronx Supreme Court Justice Hon. Eugene Oliver Jr., Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clarke, Council Member Amanda Farías, Castle Hill Y Executive Director Sharlene Brown, and Castle Hill Y Board members Hon. Fiordaliza Rodriguez and Eliezer Rodriguez came together at the Castle Hill Y to honor Black History Month and the Civil Rights Movement.
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YMCA of Greater New York 5 West 63rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023 212 630 9600 ymcanyc.org
IN GRATITUDE
THE Y CELEBRATES FEDERAL EARMARKS FOR 5 YMCA LOCATIONS IN NYC
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everal Congressional leaders are supporting youth and families by earmarking funds for YMCA projects. Congress Member Hakeem Jeffries directed $500,000 each to the Bedford-Stuyvesant Y and Coney Island Y to support educational programs for youth. Similarly, Congress Member Grace Meng secured $500,000 each to support youth and community development programs at the Flushing and Ridgewood Ys. Finally, Congress Member Carolyn Maloney allocated $1 million toward a new YMCA to expand programming for Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents.•
(left) Coney Island Y Executive Director Sam Moore and Bedford-Stuyvesant Y Executive Director Sonia Atherly share a joyful moment as Congress Member Hakeem Jeffries announces his support. (above) Congress Member Carolyn Maloney presents a symbolic check to Greenpoint Y Executive Director Kendall Charter. 8
WE’RE HERE FOR ALL NEW YORKERS –
to empower youth, improve health, and strengthen community.
